How to implement an efficient data backup routine for your company?

One of the biggest concerns for the IT area, undoubtedly, is the routine related to the backup of the company’s data. Backup files may include information essential to the operation of the company, as well as for the continuity of their respective businesses.

Considering the technological scenario in which we live, where new cyber threats are increasingly emerging, the data backup routine has been gradually taking a greater and essential proportion for any company.

Based on this, how can you implement an efficient data backup routine for your business?

This is the topic that we will discuss in this article.

REASONS FOR AN EFFICIENT BACKUP ROUTINE

Initially, it is worth noting, that when we talk about “data backup” it is necessary to keep in mind that the entire operation of the company depends on an efficient data backup routine. And that allows (your company) to have easy access to all the necessary files stored, regardless of any events that may occur.

We can list some of the following events below, where an (efficient) data backup is required:

Defense mechanisms against hacker attacks

Data backup is certainly part of a set of mechanisms needed to defend your business against possible hacker attacks. For example, when a particular attacker (hacker) tries to carry out an attempted Ransomware-based attack, in order to hijack data to later charge a “ransom,” an efficient backup strategy can partially help with the problem, allowing your company to have the necessary copies of the files available.

Events that require “Rollback”

We know that sometimes not all technical interventions (be it updates or expansions in applications) go as expected. For this reason, so that an intervention that has caused a loss of data can be reviewed (for the purpose of returning to the previous stage, before the activity has been performed) the backup of the data is indispensable. Once the backup (has been performed correctly) your technical staff can proceed with the Rollback plan and implement it if necessary.

Data storage for additional period

Depending on the type of service that your company provides, it is very common that it is necessary to store data for a long period, which can be longer than three years, for example. In these cases, it is common for a particular application to make the data available for a shorter period, and if this period is reached, the data must be recovered through a previous backup.

Application migration

A technological infrastructure sometimes requires applications to be migrated to other repositories (such as to on-premises servers or cloud virtual machines). Thus, for a migration to be successful, it is essential that the backup of the data is up-to-date, and that it allows it to be made available in a timely manner so that the activity is able to occur properly.

ESSENTIAL GOOD PRACTICES FOR A GOOD BACKUP ROUTINE

Here are some things that might help your company to implement an efficient data backup routine:

Identify the best strategy for implementing backup

Each company has its own technological needs and particularities when it comes to planning a backup routine. For this reason, it is critical that your company has defined a strategy for using data backup. This strategy should highlight all the essential points required. Let’s look at some below:

Backup storage location

The storage location for the data must be defined, as well as a file organization structure, according to the types of data that will be saved. It is also important that the backup storage location is secure, as well as (it is highly recommended) that it is not in the same directory as the production data.

Backup implementation time

The times at which the backups will take place must be defined in accordance with the operation of the company, as well as its respective traffic. It must be observed if the time to implement the backup is adherent and if it will not cause any impact (such as slowness) in the operation of the company’s applications.

Types of data to be saved and the required period

For backup planning to be successful, it is mandatory that your company knows which files need to be saved and for how long they should be available in this storage.

Make sure your company has the necessary resources

Depending on the amount of storage required and the period of time, your company may need to allocate additional resources to store the data. Therefore, it is important to identify if your company has all the technological resources to do so. Let’s take a look at some of these below:

Storage compatible with storage capacity

The storage location for the data must have the necessary capacity to meet the storage demand for backups.

Cloud space required

If your company uses cloud solutions for data storage, it is important to identify if what will be used (in terms of space) is compatible with the budget allocated to the IT team by the company.

Visibility of data network traffic

It is critical that your company has full visibility of data network traffic so that backup routines can be properly implemented. Network visibility will provide your company with a mapping of the volume of data being trafficked, as well as helping to point out (if any) certain types of anomalies (such as suspicious traffic).

Let’s look at some important information that a visibility of data network traffic can bring:

Traffic classification

It is important that your company can identify the necessary parameters in the traffic, such as: traffic origin and destination, and the applications that are being used.

Non-approved applications

The use of unauthorized applications inside the company can cause not only security breaches, but also a high traffic impact to your company, and consequently harm the backup routines. Therefore, it is important that your company has the necessary tools to identify this type of information, so that the IT technical team can take appropriate action.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

As we have seen during this article, a backup routine is fundamental for various types of needs, and knowing how to implement it correctly is undoubtedly part of strategic planning for any company.

With this, it is essential that your company periodically evaluates whether the current data backup routine is in line with its respective business, as well as whether it is meeting the necessary technological aspects, especially security.

With that in mind, Telcomanager, Latin America’s leader in the software network management sector, in the market since 2002, with a unique and innovative methodology, provides intelligent solutions for data monitoring to give complete visibility to the customer’s infrastructure. This allows your company to keep track of the main aspects of your network.

Published on 05/20/2022